Sheriff says drug raid should send warning

By Jeff Gilliland jgilliland@civitasmedia.com

April 2, 2014

Tuesday’s drug raid that resulted in 14 people being arrested on a long list of drug-related charges should send a message that dealing drugs is not going to be tolerated in Highland County, sheriff Richard Warner said Wednesday.

“The ones that were indicted on engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, those were main dealers we were able to take off the streets and it’s going to have an impact on drugs being dealt in Highland County,” Warner said. “On the others, it says that if they’re doing drugs in Highland County, they’re going to pay for their crimes.”

Warner also noted the help his office received from the Hillsboro Police Department, Greenfield Police Department and Lynchburg Police Department in conducting the raid.

The names of the 14 people arrested and the charges against them were published in Wednesday’s Times-Gazette.

The raid was the result of a Highland County grand jury that indicted 28 individuals on a total of 110 counts Tuesday ranging from possession of drugs, to trafficking in drugs, to engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, a second-degree felony.

The sheriff said those indicted were not all connected to a single drug ring, but were part of several different groups dealing drugs in Highland County, primarily in Hillsboro and the Rocky Fork Lake area.

Warner said additional subjects are being sought in connection with the investigation.

The sheriff said the county’s residents need to remain vigilant and contact his office anytime they see suspicious activity.

“As far as the impact on drug dealing in Highland County, you don’t really know,” Warner said. “You just want to stay on top of it and do what you can do to take care of the problem.”

Jeff Gilliland may be reached at 937-393-3456 ext. 209 or on Twitter @13gillilandj.